Zman Simchateinu - Derech Etz Chaim style

Pictured above is Ari Manheim, shana gimmel, who focuses intently on his siddur and the hoshanot prayers. The yeshiva kicked off Hoshana Rabbah with divrei chizuck from R' Yosef Brown, who happens to also be Mrs. Katz's uncle. After the guest lecture the bekius shiurim got together for a mishmar style, tikun le'il Hoshana Rabbah. After a few hours of sleep in the sukkah the talmidim were aroused to a marathon Hoshana Rabbah shacharis led by R' Sheftel.



Finally, the program concluded with a special yeshiva Hoshana Rabbah seudah

Over succos, Derech Etz Chaim, likes for the yeshiva to stay together. The yeshiva was open the entire chag and as usual we had many "guests" from other yeshivot looking for a sukkah to sleep in.

Another highlight over succos was our Simchat Beit HaShoava. For the second year in a row, back by popular demand, we had renown musician Yehuda Katz come on Motzai Yom Tov and lead a kumsitz style concert in the Rosh Yeshiva's sukkah.

Succos is also a time where we get to see our alumni. Some are visiting from chutz l'aretz for the chagim, but some are in Eretz Yirael. Pictured below is Michael Deutch who took a break from R' Yaakov Friedman's Yeshiva in Beitar and spent bein ha'zmanim with us.

Up goes the Sukkah

I've been working on the sukkah........

Derech Etz Chaim is all about teamwork and that's what it takes to put up the DEC Sukkah. Pictured from left to right is shana gimmel Ari Manheim, shana bet Ian King (with drill in hand), shana alef Mordechai Landesman and shana alef Moshe Kaplan. Until the wee hours of the morning they hammer, drill and build.

And when the night shift is over the morning shift begins. Pictured below is shana alef Mordechai Birnbaum assisting shana gimmel Eli Mirlis with the essential central column of the sukkah on which all the schach will be supported

Lending a Hand

Pictured above is shana alef student Moshe Caplan, flexing his muscles to help in the furniture warehouse of Koach Latet, and organization that refurbishes old "just about anything" and gives them to needy families.

On the day after Yom Kippur, the yeshiva students started their "clean slates" with morning seder until 11:30. Next, we charted a bus to Meir Panim in Romayma and spent a few hours dedicated to gimilut chasadim before the beginning of Bein HaZmanim. The students were split up between the Meir Panim "food kitchen" that feeds hundreds of people a day. The other students went to the Koach Latet warehouse.